Dentistry

I've been bad at blogging lately, so I don't remember what I've said about my teeth.  I could look back, but that would take the effort of two or three mouse clicks, god forbid.  

Last week I went in to get a new crown on one of my lower molars.  I've known I needed one for a long time now, but as is my nature, I've been putting it off.  A few months back, I chomped down on a popcorn kernel and the tooth has been pretty bad ever since.  I was convinced by the amount of pain I was in that I was going to need a root canal.  My dentist disagreed, so I went behind his back for a second opinion.  The other dentist also didn't see the need for a root canal.  She swore a crown was all I was going to need.  I was still pretty sure neither of them knew what they were talking about, but I agreed to go in for the crown.  

My appointment was in the late morning.  It took quite a bit of novacaine to numb me up.  The first shot didn't do it.  The second one didn't either.  The third one did.  And it took most of the afternoon for it to wear off.  When it did, I realized that I still couldn't put any pressure on the tooth.  It was actually hurting more than before the appointment.  I called the dentist and asked how long it should be before I could use the tooth.  I was told it would take probably about an hour from when I left the office.  So I explained my problem.  Unfortunately, the dentist was already gone for the day and I'd have to wait until the next day for a call back.  When I did get the call back, I was told to rinse the tooth in warm salt water.  I have no idea what this was supposed to achieve, but I followed orders.  I asked how long I should give this before calling back.  She said to give it a couple of days.  So I did.  This was Thursday and the office is closed on Friday, so I gave it until Monday.  At which point I called back and let them know I was now able to lightly chew bread with that tooth and nothing more.  Another hour or so passed before I got a call back and was given a referral to an endodontist.  So guess who is getting a root canal tomorrow morning?  I'm not sure what I'm more pissed off at.  The fact that no one will listen to me or the unexpected expense of it all.  It's not going to be cheap and I don't even know how much my insurance is going to cover.  

Think good thoughts for me.  It's been a decade (or longer) since the last time I've done this.  I don't even remember what to expect other than a mouth full of pain.  Remember, my bottom teeth do not like to numb up easily at all.